Downfall
by PutMeDown
Summary: "Please- please don't cry. I can't stand it when you cry." Hermione gathers she's not the only one feeling lonely in a castle full of fellow students.


_Authors note: My first attempt at a Draco/Hermione fanfiction! I hope you will all like it, even if it's not the typical overly romantic kind. I want to let the characters develop their relationship into something believeable. They will not suddenly fall inlove, as that would be a bit too out of character for my personal taste. Also, this story is NOT set in an alternate universe. It's during their 6th year at Hogwarts, and will follow the Halfblood Prince storyline._

_Read, enjoy and leave a review if you would be so kind..._

_Disclaimer: Characters belong to J.K Rowling. The story however, comes from my own imagination._

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CHAPTER 1_  
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Was she imagining it, or was somebody else inside the girls' bathroom at this hour?

Hermione had been lingering inside one of the bathroom stalls for the last hour or two. The day had started of very bad, when they had gotten their Transfiguration results back from last week. Apparently her performance was off to a rough start, or that was how Professor McGonagall put it. Hermione prided herself in two things: knowledge and hard work.

Getting an _Acceptable _on a test did not reflect her dedication to studies at all!

Ron and Harry had just laughed at her distress and waved it off like they always do. Evidently they didn't care, for they had left her alone at lunch for a game of Quidditch with all the others. Sometimes, just _sometimes_, Hermione wished she could be more like the rest of them. It could get awfully lonely in the library, with no one to share her interests and enthusiasm.

"I'm sorry. So, so sorry for everything."

The voice that whispered softly in the dark lit bathroom brought her back to the present and confirmed her previous suspicious: someone was there. But who would be here after curfew besides herself and Moaning Myrtle? No one ever used this bathroom with the exception of miserable girls like herself.

From what Hermione could hear, it didn't sound like a girl either.

Carefully she pressed her palm against the door, trying to avoid alerting the mysterious night visitor. To sneak up on someone like she was so splendidly doing was wrong in many different ways. This did not occur to Hermione however, until the damage was already done.

"Who's there?!"

Obviously her attempt at stealth had been unsuccessful, for as soon as she stepped out of the stall a bright light was blinding her, forcing her eyes shut.

"Care to lower your wand so I can have my sight back?" Hermione asked while shielding her eyes from the Lumos spell. It took a few seconds before the person in front of her decided to heed her request. A soft _Nox _was uttered, and the room swiftly became dark once more.

She couldn't make out his features, except that it was in fact a _he _with blonde hair. The student was still tightly gripping his wand, as if he was considering using it on her.

"I heard you speaking and it felt wrong of me to listen in on your conversation without making my presence known." The lie escaped her lips easily, _if_ you could call it that. Surely he wouldn't appreciate Hermione telling him she was in fact going to snoop around like a silly first year.

Instead of replying, the stranger turned around and began to make for the exit. Without thinking, Hermione was following him outside, too curious to just let him walk away.

"Wait!" She was reaching out to him, grasping for his arm. "I couldn't help but hear what you said in there, and if you need to talk about it I-"

The boy turned around, familiar grey eyes looking down upon her. Instead of the usual contempt and conceit, Hermione could only make out fear as well as… Confusion?

"Get off, Granger!"

"Malfoy?" She felt speechless. And a bit apprehensive. "What were you doing in there?"

"Do you think I'd tell you, mudblood?"

There it was again. The word that she'd countless of times convinced herself to ignore, but never truly succeeded to. It hurt, even when it came from one of the most pathetic slimy Slytherin's at Hogwarts.

"Call me that again and you'll regret it."

Draco Malfoy stood towering over her, smirking at her with his familiar sneer. The fear was gone and replaced by the usual contempt.

"Really? Where's your wand then?" Before she had time to reach down into her pocket, he was pushing her backwards with the tip of his own wand. Her back hit the cold stone wall of the corridor, which seemed deserted and dead silent except for her rapid breathing.

"You shouldn't make threats like that if you're not even capable of defending yourself." Slowly he traced his black wand against her exposed collarbones, before harshly pressing it into her throat.

"Without Potter and Weasel you're just a worthless mudblood, aren't you Granger? Weak and pathetic."

Hermione was trying hard not to shake in fear, for she was frightened. More than ever. This was a dark side to him she would never have guessed he possessed. They'd always thought of him as a coward: a ridiculous ferret. Now she didn't know what to make of him. He seemed unpredictable and dare she say – dangerous?

"I think I like you this way, submissive and without magic."

As Malfoy uttered those words, like poison to her mind, something finally snapped. For a moment, she forgot her fear.

"Drop the act Malfoy, I heard you in there! You're obviously not as cold and heartless as you pretend to be. You wouldn't hurt me even if you wanted to."

As he backhanded her across the face, the side of her forehead hit the wall with a thud. It took a few seconds before she could see again, and by then he had backed away from her, keeping her at arm's length yet still pushing her into the hard stone.

"If you tell anyone about tonight, I'll kill you."

"You wouldn't." Yet as she said it, she couldn't convince herself it was true.

"You'd be surprised. I have hurt people before. Who's to say I wouldn't do worse to you. You're not even a real person, are you? You're a disgusting-"

Hermione couldn't take it any longer. Instead of listening to his insulting words, she focused all her attention at escaping. She brought a knee up, hoping to hit his groin so hard he wouldn't be able to walk for a week. As he bent over, almost dropping his wand in the process, she started running down the corridor without looking back.

She didn't stop until she was outside the Gryffindor Tower, whispering the password in a hurry to get inside the common room.

It wasn't until later that night, when Hermione was tucked under the sheets, that she could finally allow herself to relax and drift off into a restless slumber.

It was going to be a long year at Hogwarts.


End file.
